Ax and tool handle guard



(No Model .1

G: P.I 1V1ORRILL.

AX AND TOOL HANDLBGUARDH No. 291,216. Patented Jan. 1, 1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Price,-

- AX AND TOOL HANDLE GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,216, dated January1, 1884.

Application filed March 12, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. MoRRILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Can-- terbury, in the county of Merrimac and State of NewHampshire'have invented a new and useful Improvement in AX and ToolHandle Guards, said invention consisting in the man ner of attaching ametal band around the handle immediately behind the tool or ax, for thepurpose of protecting the handle from being checked, splintered, orbroken, of which the following is a specification.

The drawings accompanying the following specification illustrate mymethod of attaching my improved guard to an aX-helve, for which it isespecially valuable, for the reason that the fibers of the wood are cutoff in the peculiar form of an aX-helve at that portion covered by myband or guard, and also that greater strain is brought upon this part ofthe helve in the operations of cutting and splitting, and many attemptshave been made and in a great variety of ways to protect the helveimmediately behind the ax.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved guard attached to anaX-helve; Fig. 2, a top view of the same. Fig. 3 shows the mode ofpreparing the helve toreceive the guard, and Fig. 4: represents themetallic guard before being applied.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

My improved guard is attached as follows: The aX-helve A is sawedthrough the center in a vertical plane, at the end which is to receivethe ax, as far back as the guard is to ex tend, forming the slot D, Fig.'3. Two pieces of sheet metal are then formed of the shape shown in Fig.4, which, being placed side by side so that their edges coincide, andinserted in the groove D, will present the appearance shown by thedotted lines in Fig.- 1, the two Wings B and O in Figs. 1 and 4 beingrepresented by B and C. Theportion of wood removed by the saw in thegroove D should be equal to the thickness of the'two metal plates to beinserted, as at A A, Fig. 2. I then bend the wings B and 0 down upon andaround the handle, as shown in Fig. 1, the edge of the upper wing, B,overlapping the edge of the lower wing, C. In the edges of the wings Band C are the holes a, so arranged that the holes in B and C will matcheach other, and

the holes in the wings on one side of the handle come opposite those inthe wings 011 the opposite side, so that holes may be bored through thewood of the handle, connecting the holes upon the opposite sides toreceive the rivets O O C, Fig, 2, thereby securely binding the wings Band G to the handle A. The portion of the plate A, it will be seen,

forms a tongue, which extends forward in the center of handle as far asmay be and not prevent the insertion of the wedge in the end of thehandle. the plates A are turned over and inclose one side of the handle,and the corresponding wings of the other plate are turned in theopposite direction, so as to inclose the opposite side of the handle,each plate inclosing onehalf of the handle.

By the above-described mode of attaching my improved guard I am able tobend the wings B O around the handle and cause them to conform morereadily and closely to the shape of the handle than is possible bybending one piece around the entire handle. I also greatly increase thestrength of the handle by inserting the metal plates A A, Fig. 2, whichpass through the handle in a vertical plane extending from a point underthe ax backward through that portion of the handle receiving thegreatest strain in chopping or splitting.

In attaching my guard to other than axhandles the shape of the metalplates should be so changed as to enable them to conform to the peculiarshape of the handle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The ax or tool handle guard consisting of two metal plates insertedin a slot passing through the center of the handle, with the edges ofeach plate projecting from opposite sides of the handle, and being bentdown upon the handle, so that the projecting edges of each plate willinclose the surface of one-half I of the handle, the edgesof each plateoverlapping each other, and'being secured by means of nails or screwspassing into the The wings B and G of one of wood forming the handle, orby rivets passing through the handle, as shown and described, and forthe purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with an ax or tool han;

dle having the end slotted as described, and l more firmly in place, asand far the purpose having a metallic guard consisting of plates I setforth. inserted in the slot and bent around the hzm- 3 dle, asdescribed, 0f the tongue-pieces A A, I 5 attached to the guard andextending ferwm-d l \Vilnesses:

beneath the ax er tool, for the purpeseof pm- R. B. FOWLER, tiallyfillhilgl'he Slot and holding The guard ll. 1 PARKER.

